Sen. Lamar Alexander proposes 'grand swap' on Medicaid costs

Tennessee Republican says state could save $2B a year

5:41 AM,
Jan. 10, 2013

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., speaks to a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013, in Nashville. Alexander is proposing a 'grand swap' in which the federal government would take over all responsibility for Medicaid and the states would gain all control over education.

Written by

Chas Sisk
| The Tennessean

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander proposed shifting the burden of Medicaid entirely onto the shoulders of the federal government in a speech Wednesday to Tennessee lawmakers.

The Republican senator said he would file a bill that would take away states' responsibility to fund a portion of Medicaid, the health care program for the poor, in exchange for taking on more of the cost of public education and other expenditures.

Alexander said he first came up with the plan three decades ago while governor of Tennessee. With Medicaid set to expand under the Affordable Care Act and health care costs ...